Conventionally, the equipment that typically is used in this field of technology is equipment that delivers the plate materials to a forming machine. It comprises:
1. a first measuring means that measures the position of any one point on the edge of a first long side of the plate material that is lifted;
2. a second measuring means that measures the positions of any two points on the edge of a second or opposite long side of the plate material;
3. a first calculating means that calculates the difference in the positions of the two points on the second or opposite long side of the plate material in the lateral direction thereof, based on the results of the measurements of the positions of the two points as measured by the second measuring means;4. an angle-adjusting means that adjusts the deviation of the plate material from the desired state in terms of the angle formed between the plate material and its desired state, by rotating the plate material on the horizontal plane so as to remove the difference that is calculated by the first calculating means;5. a second calculating means that calculates the position that is a midpoint between one of the two points on the edge of the second or opposite long side of the plate material and one point on the edge of the first long side of the plate material, based on the results as measured by the second measuring means and the first measuring means;6. a first adjusting means that adjusts the deviation of the plate material in the lateral direction by moving the plate material in the lateral direction and substantially matching the position of the midpoint calculated by the second calculating means with any point on the extension of the center line of the forming machine, which center line is the center line in the lateral direction of the plate material;7. a third measuring means that measures the position of any one point on the edge of a first short side of the plate material;8. a fourth measuring means that measures the position of any one point on the edge of the second or opposite short side of the plate material for which the deviation in the lateral direction is adjusted;9. a third calculating means that calculates the position that is a midpoint between the two points as measured by the third and fourth measuring means; and10. a second adjusting means that adjusts the deviation in the longitudinal direction of the plate material, by moving the plate material in the longitudinal direction and substantially matching the midpoint calculated by the third calculating means with the center line of the forming machine, which center line is parallel to the center line extending in the longitudinal direction of the plate material. (See Patent Document 1.)
The equipment that delivers the plate material to a forming machine, thus constituted, measures each position of one point on the edge of the first long side of the plate material and the positions of two points on the edge of the second or opposite long side of the plate material,
adjusts any deviation in the angle of the plate material by horizontally rotating it so as to remove the difference in the positions of these two points, and
then, after calculating the midpoint between one of the two points on the second or opposite long side of the plate material and the point on the first long side of the plate material, and moving the plate material in the lateral direction and substantially matching the position of the midpoint with the extension of the center line of the forming machine, which center line is parallel to the center line extending in the lateral direction of the plate material, and then adjusts the deviation of the position of the plate material in the lateral direction;
Then, the equipment that delivers the plate material to the forming machine measures each of the positions of one point on the edge of a first short side of the plate material and the position of any one point on the edge of a second or the opposite short side, calculates the position of the midpoint of these two points, and then moves the plate material in the longitudinal direction, substantially matches the position of the midpoint with the center line of the forming machine, which center line is parallel to the center line extending in the longitudinal direction of the plate material and adjusts the deviation of the position of the plate material in the longitudinal direction.
See Patent document 1: Publication of laid-open patent application, No. 2003-312901.
However, the conventional equipment that delivers the plate material to the forming machine thus constituted has problems. For example, it requires an apparatus that moves the plate material and an apparatus that delivers it, in addition to an apparatus that adjusts the deviation of the plate material, because the operations of adjusting the deviations in the lateral direction of the plate material and in the longitudinal direction of the plate material are carried out in different locations. Thus the equipment becomes larger, its manufacturing cost is higher, and the equipment needs a larger space to be installed.